LOS ANGELES—February 11, 2025—The L.A. Local News Initiative, a new nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting robust, independent local press in Los Angeles, named respected civic leader and coalition builder Michele Siqueiros as its founding Chief Executive Officer.
Siqueiros, a Los Angeles native, has spent her career creating systemic change in California. As president of the Campaign for College Opportunity from 2008 to 2024, she transformed the organization from a startup into California's most influential higher education advocacy organization. Her strategic approach combining research, advocacy, and community engagement led to historic policy reforms and the allocation of more than $6 billion in state funding for higher education.
Beyond her organizational leadership, Siqueiros has been a trusted voice and bridge-builder across Los Angeles's diverse communities. She serves on the boards of highly regarded organizations including The California Endowment, Pitzer College, and others. Her effectiveness in driving systemic change has been recognized through numerous awards, including the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award, The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)’s Excellence in Community Service Award, and being named Woman of the Year by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Siqueiros joins the local news initiative as the region undergoes multiple concurrent challenges, that includes a long, complex road to recovery following devastating fires, and a rapidly changing policy landscape anticipated to have untold effects on residents, businesses and the local economy, even as misinformation remains an increasing threat. With dedicated local journalism resources significantly reduced in recent years, there is a critical need for more accountability coverage on all of these issues, and immediately relevant and actionable information to people most impacted. There is also a need for more stories that uplift the voices often left out of the public narrative. The initiative was created to fill these gaps, and ensure all Angelenos have the representative, relevant, and trusted news and information they deserve.
"Los Angeles is home to the most diverse communities in the world, and that's what makes our city extraordinary. Building bridges across our racial, ethnic, and linguistic communities has been my life's work," Siqueiros said. "As the daughter of immigrants who built a life here, I've experienced firsthand how access to reliable local information can transform lives. Strong local journalism serves two vital functions — it celebrates and amplifies community voices while holding power accountable. At this critical moment, when our city faces unprecedented challenges, we need both: storytelling that reflects the richness and diversity of our communities, and watchdog reporting that ensures transparency and accountability at every level. This is how we build a more informed, engaged, and equitable Los Angeles."
The L.A. Local News Initiative was announced last fall amid drastic losses in local journalism resources, when a coalition of Los Angeles media and philanthropy leaders joined forces to raise over $17 million to grow and support local news in the region. Under Siqueiros, the initiative will operate and support local newsrooms and partnerships in Los Angeles to provide coverage at neighborhood, regional, and state levels in service of L.A. communities. It aims to increase the volume of coverage at its own newsrooms, such as Boyle Heights Beat, a trusted community outlet covering the Eastside, while fostering collaboration among 20 media partners. The initiative also made investments to add journalists at LAist and CalMatters focused on L.A. reporting, which will increasingly share their reporting with all L.A. Local News Initiative partners. Additional details about the organization and its programs are available at localnewsforla.org.
“Our CEO has to be a mission-driven leader with strong community ties and a deep appreciation for journalism’s role in a healthy democracy. A deep understanding of Los Angeles’ unique challenges and a passion for fostering a more equitable and engaged media landscape are key,” said Monica Lozano, L.A. Local News Initiative board chair and former editor, publisher, and CEO of La Opinión. “Michele has the ability to authentically engage with all segments of our community, combined with a track record of mobilizing diverse stakeholders around common goals, which is exactly what we need in this moment to ensure we have a resilient local press that will work together to grow and serve our communities.”
The initiative’s national search for a CEO kicked off last September, led by the initiative’s board and advised by a committee of business, nonprofit, media and entrepreneurship experts with support from an independent search advisor. The board is also in the midst of a process to recruit an executive editor who will lead the initiative’s newsroom.
In the coming months, Siqueiros will be leading a naming and branding effort for the organization in a process that will include community input. She will build a business and operations team for the organization, which will be sustained by a combination of philanthropic contributions, sponsorships, and membership. To receive email updates on new developments at the initiative, sign up here. All open roles will be posted at http://localnewsforla.org/jobs.
Read more about Michele Siqueiros here.
About the L.A. Local News Initiative
The Los Angeles Local News Initiative is a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles, fiscally sponsored by the American Journalism Project. With over $17 million raised so far, it is on a mission to create a better Los Angeles for all Angelenos by meaningfully replenishing reporting resources in the region so that all L.A. communities have free access to the information they need to be more civically engaged, to thrive in their lives in L.A. and to hold decision makers accountable. The initiative receives support from a broad coalition of philanthropies, anchored by investments from The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, the Spiegel Family Fund, and the American Journalism Project.
